16th century books

So books from the 16th century on are considered books and not incunables.  I found a nice site -- they do sell the books but they also show scans of at least a couple pages from each book which is nice.

The Philadelphia Rare Books & Manuscripts Company, LLC  

Here are a few pages from their site.

 

Orlando Furioso

 
 

Same book -- what I think is interesting is those little hands that hold the book open to the page you are reading.  I have never seen that before.

  

 Bible.  Latin. Vulgate. 1513. Biblia cum concordantiis veteris et novi testamenti necnon et iuris canonici. Lugduni: M. Jacobum Sacon, 1513. Folio (34.5 cm, 13.5"). Revised edition, following the first of 1506, of Jerome’s Vulgate as printed by Jacques Sacon for Anton Koberger of Nuremberg. 

 

This is from another Latin Vulgate Bible. 1529.  Textus Biblie. [colophon: Impressum autem Lugduni {i.e.,Lyons}: per Joha[n]nem Crespin, M.ccccc.xxix {1529}].  Look at the little lion under what looks like a little carousel of books.

 

I like this one.  Appropriately, the site titled it the Bear Bible, the first Bible in Spanish. "Reina. 1569.  La Biblia, que es, los sacros libros del vieio y nueuo testamento. [Basel: Thomas Guarinus for or with Samuel Apiarius], 1569."  Interestingly enough, the Spain became staunchly anti-Reformist so bibles had to be printed in Latin (or maybe Hebrew) so the Spanish author, Reina, had to escape to Geneva to avoid prosecution. The next time a Bible was allowed to be printed in Spanish was 300 years later. The site has this bible priced at $28,750. 

 

This is from the first Latin Bible printed in England. "1580. Tremellius–Junius.  Testamenti veteris Biblia Sacra sive libri canonici, priscae Iudaeorum Ecclesiae a Deo traditi, Latini recens ex Hebraeo facti, brevibusque scholiis illustrati ab Immanuele Tremellio & Francisco Iunio.... Londini: Henricus Middletonus, impensis G.B., 1579–80. 4to (21.6 cm, 8.5")".  

 

This is from a book on Julius Caesar in German. I like the intricacy of the woodblock print. "Julius der erst römisch Keiser von seinem Leben und Krieg, erstmals uss dem Latein in Tütsch gebracht vnd mit andrer Ordnung der Capittel und uil zusetz nüw getruckt. [Strassburg: Durch Joannem Grüninger, vff sant Adolffs des heiligen Bischoffss, 1508]. Folio (31 cm; 11.5")"

 

One of the most interesting things on this site is not a book but a single page.  It is a certificate from King Phillip (signed in his name by his sister Juana [Joanna Habsburg] de Austria who was acting regent from 1554-1559) bestowing a coat of arms to Villanueva, one of the Spanish conquistadors who went to the New World with Cortes.  You can see the full page on their C-H page near the bottom. The detail is amazing and they show close up scans of quite a number of them.  It is being sold for $125,000.  

 

These little cherubs sit atop leopards? dragons? at the top of the page.  Whatever they are, I think they are pretty cool looking.